04/18/2017

Path Type Enhancements in External References in AutoCAD 2018

The Path Type Controls how the AutoCAD software searches for the reference file to load it. By default, the Path type is set to Relative Path. It starts from the folder of the host drawing.

Full path uses the entire path. With No path, the AutoCAD software searches in the current folder of the host drawing, and in the project paths, support paths, and Start-in folder.

What's New in 2018:When a drawing has an external reference that has been moved and cannot be found, the shortcut menu offers you options to find the file, as shown in Figure 31–9. The Select New Path option enables you to fix the missing path by selecting the file from the new location. Once the reference file’s new location has been selected, the software prompts you to use the new path for the other missing references or leave the rest of the paths as is. The Find and Replace option opens the Find and Replace dialog box, which enables you to find the current path and replace all of its instances with the new path, all at once.

Figure 31-9

Enhanced in 2018:The shortcut menu also provides you with the option of changing the path type by selecting Change Path Type. If the path type option of the selected reference file is grayed out and cannot be selected, it indicates that it is the one currently used. Figure 31–10 shows an example of the referenced file using the Relative Path type, which is grayed out to indicate that the path type is currently used.